Helped by a strong fourth quarter, the six active private mortgage insurers wrote 12% more business in 2025 over the prior year. Between the third and fourth quarter, new insurance written grew by 4%, according to a report from Bose George of Keefe Bruyette & Woods. Typically, the last three months of the year are […]
MI volumes jump 12%, competitive pressure builds Read More »
Retail giant Rate is embracing cryptocurrency and stablecoins for prospective home buyers, who accumulated wealth in the digital assets. Processing Content The Chicago-based lender is rolling out RateFi, a product allowing buyers to access purchase, refinance, second-home and investment property loans, without liquidating their crypto or stablecoin. The offering is Rate’s first step in a
Rate will consider crypto, stablecoins in underwriting Read More »
A paper from Andrew Davidson & Co. reportedly supports the notion that dropping the tri-merge credit report standard would result in greater risk to mortgage industry participants. Processing Content The paper was brought to media attention by the Consumer Data Industry Association. Others stand by their views that a single pull is sufficient to use
Dropping tri-merge reports hikes mortgage risk, paper claims Read More »
Plummeting mortgage rates during the third quarter last year started a shift in originators’ business mix towards refinance, and this, more than a lessening emphasis on loan manufacture quality, resulted in a huge jump in defect rates, Aces Quality Management said. Processing Content For the last week of June, the 30-year conforming fixed rate mortgage
Refi shift drives latest increase in mortgage defect rates Read More »
Taking advantage of falling interest rates, largely spurred by narrowing primary-secondary spreads resulting from a White House pronouncement, consumers stepped up rate lock activity, while lenders added products in January, separate reports noted. Processing Content On Jan. 8, Pres. Trump ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities. This came
Mortgage rate dip ignites refi boom in January Read More »
Nearly three quarters of lenders expect mortgage volume to improve in 2026, but their confidence is concentrated in refinancings and home equity lending. Processing Content Those expectations from the National Mortgage News Predictions 2026 survey, which was fielded online during November and December among 156 mortgage-industry professionals. More than half, 55% of respondents, work at
Lenders predict 2026 rebound led by refis and home equity Read More »
While the fourth quarter’s mortgage fraud risk rate fell 55 basis points from the prior three months, loans submitted during the period had a record average issues per transaction, the Fundingshield Wire Fraud Risk Report found. Processing Content The last three months of 2025 was a period where a near 9% increase in volume from
Record defects plague mortgage closings as fraud risk dips Read More »
One of the country’s leading mortgage lenders is moving into crypto, allowing borrowers to submit digital holdings as assets to be considered when applying for certain home loans. Processing Content National lender and servicer Newrez announced it will begin to recognize and accept cryptocurrencies in February across its Smart Series suite of nonagency products without
Newrez announces plan for crypto in originations Read More »
Insurance-in-force growth at the government-run Federal Housing Administration will continue to outpace its private counterparts going forward because of the current state of the housing market, a Keefe, Bruyette & Woods report said. Processing Content The market share (based on IIF) split between the two products has been narrowing since the third quarter of 2022.
FHA usage will continue to outgrow private MI in 2026 Read More »
New York is the latest state to implement a nonbank Community Reinvestment Act, with laws already in place in Massachusetts and Illinois and one pending in New Jersey. Processing Content While it will be a compliance burden for these lenders, at least one nonbank executive also thinks it is an opportunity. A regulation has been
New York joins states imposing CRA on nonbank lenders Read More »